The Various Benefits of Treatment for High Anxiety

There are a few things that can be to blame if this situation is one that you are familiar with. You might be having trouble setting priorities. There’s a chance you’ve read too many stories about “hustle culture.” Or perhaps you have high-functioning anxiety.

High-Functioning Anxiety: What Is It?

Among the most prevalent mental illnesses in the US are anxiety disorders:

• Over 19% of American adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), reported having an anxiety condition in the previous 12 months.
• There were over 258 million adults counted in the 2020 census.
• This indicates that more than 49 million Americans aged 18 and older have an anxiety disorder on a yearly basis.

Anxiety’s effects might differ greatly from person to person. It is an inconvenience that makes life a little bit more challenging for certain people. Others find it to be a crippling experience that keeps them from living a full life.

In yet another instance, anxiety symptoms may encourage people to lead lifestyles that seem incredibly prosperous. These folks could suffer from a condition known as high-functioning anxiety.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not list high-functioning anxiety as a disorder (DSM-5). That does not, however, imply that it is not a real health issue.

Even though high-functioning anxiety symptoms may not fully satisfy the requirements for a diagnosis of a recognized anxiety disorder, they can still cause a great deal of harm.

Signs & Symptoms of High-Functioning Anxiety

High-functioning anxiety can have an effect on practically every aspect of your life, including your physical and emotional health as well as the friendships and professional relationships you have.

Here are a few instances of how high-functioning anxiety might appear and feel at work and in your personal life:

Signs of High-Functioning Anxiety at Work

• Feeling that everything you do needs to be perfect
• Fearing that minor mistakes will cause you to be reprimanded or fired
• Being unable to say no when asked to do more work or take on additional responsibilities
• Falling behind due to procrastination and indecisiveness, then working even longer to catch up
• Tying your self-esteem to your professional accomplishments

Symptoms of High-Functioning Anxiety at Home

• Neglecting your own needs in an effort to make other people happy
• Believing that you continually need to earn love and approval through your actions
• Occasionally becoming overwhelmed and needing to isolate yourself from friends and family
• Becoming overly sensitive, restless, and irritable 
• Finding it difficult or impossible to fully relax

The external manifestations of high-functioning anxiety may appear to others as favourable characteristics. You always complete your task by the deadline, consistently offer to do more, and have a high level of motivation.

The genuine effects of high-functioning anxiety, however, are hardly anything to be admired or imitated, as the symptoms listed above show.

High-Functioning Anxiety’s Negative Effects

It’s common for discussions of high-functioning anxiety to resemble studies in comparison. People with this condition could get promotions, accolades, and praise for the examples they set. But these successes can cost a lot of money.

Among the many potential drawbacks of high-functioning anxiety are the following:

• Strained relationships with family, friends, and colleagues
• Development or worsening of mental health disorders
• Substance abuse and addiction
• Diminished confidence and self-esteem
• Inability to experience joy or pleasure
• Exhaustion
• Burnout

Fortunately, a variety of treatment resistant depression has been shown to be effective in helping those who have high-functioning anxiety. When you receive the assistance you require, you can start leading a much better and more fulfilling life.

Pros and Cons of Living with High-Functioning Anxiety

Living with high-functioning anxiety often brings both positives and negatives. The positives can include the following:

• Feeling energetic and sociable
• Be detail-focused and helpful
• Excelling at hard work
• Being helpful
• Living in neat and tidy conditions
• Be passionate and proactive 

Unfortunately, these are often balanced with negative characteristics. Although you may be highly functioning, you may also face:

• Insomnia
• Nervous ticks (biting your nails, knuckle cracking, etc)
• Unhealthy thought patterns (focusing too much on past mistakes, etc)
• Fear of saying no to people
• Anger
• Headaches
• Difficulty eating
• Mental exhaustion
• Potential for substance abuse

In the worst instance, your unrelenting need for achievement or your fear of failure may lead you into unhealthy situations and relationships. However, in the best-case situation, you might get to enjoy some of the incredible benefits that come along with this disease. Now let’s consider a few:

You Stay Busy

Being anxious can inspire and motivate you. Working hard might be positively motivated by feeling nervous about things like paying the bills, eating well, or being a good parent. Staying busy will probably lead to you experiencing tremendous success in life. The secret is to direct the energy toward inspiring inspiration.

You Shoot to Perfection

Perfectionists frequently have significant levels of anxiety. Why? Getting closer to perfection makes you feel less stressed. If this is one of the benefits you feel, it’s critical to understand that it can have negative consequences. Unrealistic expectations can feed anxiety, leading to a never-ending cycle.

Take aim at the moon. As they say, “Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Hard work does not equate to perfection. However, you can still achieve high standards and learn to value them if you can learn to stop when your performance is satisfactory.

You don’t let People Down

One of your greatest anxieties as someone with high-functioning anxiety is probably disappointing people. You work hard to ensure that you don’t let others down, since you are constantly trying to do the right thing and be the best version of yourself for others. The pressure you place on yourself is enormous.

It’s wonderful that people are aware of their ability to depend on you. Making sure that you aren’t constantly putting the needs of others ahead of you is the key to striking a balance in this situation. Unexpectedly, you are much better able to care for others once you take care of yourself first.

You usually have a Plan B

You create a plan, another plan, and possibly even a backup plan when you are anxious about doing something. Many anxious people find that overplanning gives them a sense of security or control.

On the other hand, attempt to be adaptable and go with the flow when things don’t go as expected. Both your anxiety and the anxiety of those around you may be lessened by doing this.

You’re Pleasantly Surprised when Things go Well

When you have anxiety, you frequently don’t anticipate things to go as planned (hence, the over-planning mentioned above). Some advice on making plans for the worst-case scenario while hoping for the best. So it’s almost like receiving a small gift when things do go well.

The following six life hacks come straight from my lived experience.

Recognize your Symptoms

Do you know what high-functioning anxiety looks like? Get to know them if you haven’t already. If you do, be aware and cognizant of how they affect you. Our brains begin to overanalyze when we are anxious. Why am I feeling this way? Sometimes the response is straightforward: “Because we are anxious.” It usually doesn’t mean anything more than that my anxiety is acting up when I obsess over a conversation, over-prepare for a meeting, or ruminate over a straightforward decision.

Make Friends with your Fear

Fear is your buddy if you suffer from anxiety. Even if you might not enjoy it, it is a part of your existence. And a lot of what you do is motivated by it. Have you taken the time to consider the source of your fear? Have you made a connection between it and earlier events that would have suggested you lacked intelligence or success? Why are you so preoccupied with getting people to like you?

Anxiety, in my opinion, cannot be disregarded or concealed. I took a break and stopped to face my fear with the aid of a therapist. I tried to understand where it was coming from instead of adding to the anxiety.

For instance, I can see that my concern is more about my need for acceptance and approval than it is about giving a spectacular presentation. Some of its influence over me has been reduced as a result of this realization.

My fear diminished significantly once I started to comprehend it, and I was able to draw important conclusions about the causes of my fear and how I was acting at work.

Reconnect with your Body

Both the physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety are present. High-functioning anxiety sufferers frequently live in their brains and struggle to escape the vicious cycle of frightening thoughts and feelings. I used to work 10 to 12 hours a day without ever going for a workout. Both physically and mentally, I was stuck. Reconnecting with my body is a key part of how I manage my symptoms.

Every day, I do deep breathing exercises. I can take calm, deep breaths to increase the flow of oxygen throughout my body, relax my muscles, and reduce my blood pressure whether I’m in a meeting, working at my computer, or stuck in traffic on the way home. At my workstation, I stretch. I occasionally go for walks outside during my lunch break. I’m working out. I practice yoga.

And when I’m overworked or feeling stressed… I still carry out these actions. Because I require them, even if only for ten or fifteen minutes. Having a good relationship with my body helps me to disengage from my thoughts and direct my nervous energy in a more constructive way.

Develop a Mantra and Repeat it daily

I have learned how to talk back to my fear. When that not-so-little voice inside starts to tell me that I’m not good enough or that I need to push myself even harder, I have developed a few phrases to say back to it:

This method is particularly useful for addressing perfectionism, a difficult characteristic of high-functioning anxiety. Having a mantra is empowering and provides me with a way to both take care of myself and manage my anxiety at the same time. I am reminded that I am important, especially when it comes to my mental health, and that I have a voice about spravato treatment.

Learn How to Intervene with Yourself

The feeling of anxiety feeds off itself, like a huge snowball sliding downward. Once your symptoms are known, you can learn how to recognize them when they arise and move aside to avoid being rolled over.

Whether it’s choosing a brand of dishwasher detergent or developing a brochure, I have trouble making decisions. I stop when I start to become fixated and keep checking incessantly. I force myself to get away from whatever is making me feel anxious.

The key to managing my symptoms and lowering my overall stress level has been learning how to control my own emotions and behaviours in response to worry.

Create a Support Squad

One of my biggest worries was coming clean about my anxiety at work. Talk about a negative mental cycle: I was frightened to tell those around me that I was afraid. I would start to think in black-and-white terms, telling either no one or everyone. But I’ve now discovered that there is a good middle ground.

I made contact with a few coworkers with whom I felt comfortable. When you’re having a horrible day, being able to talk to one or two people is quite helpful. This significantly reduced the pressure I was under because I was no longer required to maintain a heroic façade of optimism throughout each day. The first step toward becoming a more authentic me, both at work and in my personal life, was to assemble a small support group.

I also discovered that being open had a two-way effect since I quickly discovered that my coworkers would approach me as well, which made me feel extremely good about my choice to be open.

These six tips can be combined to create a powerful, high-performance anxiety toolbox. I can use these abilities to reclaim control whether I’m at work, at home, or out with friends. We Type A’s can find it frustrating that learning anxiety coping mechanisms takes time. But I am certain that the outcomes will be favourable if I devote even a small portion of that overachieving energy to my own wellness.